1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to digital still and video cameras and communication systems, and more particularly to a communication device providing a communication interface between a digital camera and a network system.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Portable digital cameras are generally treated as PC peripheral devices. With conventional digital cameras, a user takes pictures until the camera memory/disk is filled and then downloads the digital image data to a PC. The camera needs to be either connected to the PC, for example through a cable, or a removable storage device such as a PCMCIA card must be manually transferred from the camera to the PC. The need to regularly make a direct, physical connection to a PC reduces the portable nature of digital cameras. In addition, downloading images to a PC is a local operation. In order to move images into the internet, the user must apply another set of commands on the local PC. Such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,441 by Parulski et al. Cameras are also incorporated into integrated systems for displaying an image, such as a visual surveillance system in a retail store. U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,483 by Maeda discloses a system including a digital camera with processing circuitry for display on a television screen.
Another limitation of conventional digital cameras is that there is no direct way to identify an image once it is loaded onto the PC. Additional information must be added manually, such as operator name, account number, camera of origin, etc. Also, there is no way of securing the images to assure that an operator does not alter them once loaded into a PC, or that the images will not be viewed by an unauthorized person as part of the transmission of the images from the PC to a remote location.